Bad news for Yamal, Lewandowski: Barcelona lose key player ahead of Champions League opener

Barcelona are navigating the early stages of the 2025–26 season and are set to kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign soon. However, for the opening European match of the year, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and the rest of the squad will be missing a key piece.

“Defender Alejandro Balde suffered a slight injury to his left hamstring during today’s training session,” Barcelona announced Wednesday morning through their official social media accounts.

Balde is a crucial player in head coach Hansi Flick’s system, having started all three of Barcelona’s La Liga matches this season. The left-back featured against Mallorca, Levante, and Rayo Vallecano, although he was subbed off in the second half of all three games.

Interestingly, Flick chose a different player to replace Balde in each of those matches, raising questions about who might step into the role in the future. Jofre Torrents, Andreas Christensen, and Gerard Martin all took turns replacing the Spanish defender in those games.

How long will Balde be out?

In their official statement on social media, Barcelona did not provide an exact recovery timeline for Balde following the muscle injury, stating only: “His availability will depend on how he progresses.”

However, Marca reports that Balde “will be sidelined for three to four weeks.” In that sense, it’s a bit of good news for Los Blaugranas that the injury occurred just before the international break, which pushes the club’s upcoming fixtures back by a week.

It appears inevitable that the defender will miss Barcelona’s next two La Liga matches—against Valencia on Sunday, September 14, and against Getafe (scheduled for either Saturday, September 20, or Sunday, September 21). Between those matches, Barcelona will make their UEFA Champions League group stage debut: on Thursday, September 18, they’ll face Newcastle at St. James’ Park.

The most optimistic forecasts suggest Balde could return in time for La Liga Matchday 6, when Hansi Flick’s side visit Real Oviedo on Wednesday, September 24. By then, Alejandro will have hit the three-week mark since his hamstring injury.